Stir-fried Bitter Gourd and Egg (pad ma-ra sai khai)
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Today we are cooking a stir-fried dish with bitter gourd and egg. In Thai it is called "pad ma-ra sai khai". It is another one of those simple dishes that doesn't take long to prepare or cook. In the ingredients shown below, you can see two eggs and sliced bitter gourd.

You need to prepare the bitter gourd first by washing it and then slicing it in half lengthwise. Remove and discard the insides and then cut into slices like in the picture above. Heat some oil in the work and then add the sliced bitter gourd. Cook until it becomes tender. Season with light soy sauce and oyster sauce. I only had normal soy sauce so hence the darker look. Finish by breaking the eggs into the wok. Give it a good stir until the egg is cooked through. Come back next week for another recipe at www.thai-blogs.com. The archives can now be found at www.EnjoyThaiFood.com which has been updated with all my food blogs.

This is a Thai salad that uses mung bean noodles (wun sen) and minced pork. In Thai it is called "yum wun-sen". You can also add fresh shrimp but we didn't have any in stock. You might find this a little spicy but it is up to you how many chillies you add. In the ingredients pictured below, you can see chopped onion, red chilli, lime, roasted peanuts, mung bean noodles, cooked minced pork, spring onion and chopped tomatoes in the middle.

You need to prepare the noodles by first soaking them in cold water for ten minutes and then briefly dipping them into boiling water. Then back to the cold water. Then drain them. Mix the noodles together with the minced pork that has already been well cooked. Add some crushed red chillies. Season with an equal combination of fish sauce and lemon juice. Taste it first and then add sugar for the desired amount. Sprinkle on top the spring onion and roasted peanuts. Come back to www.thai-blogs.com next week for another Thai recipe. The archives for these food blogs can be found at our www.EnjoyThaiFood.com website.

This week we have another plain soup for you which isn't spicy. It is called Boiled Stuffed Bitter Gourd or "gaeng jeut ma-ra yat sai" in Thai. I am not too fond of bitter gourds but it is apparently good for your health and is used a lot in natural medicines. I have to be honest and admit that we cheated a little today. I bought this as a pack at Tesco Lotus for 25 baht. Sometimes it is easier and cheaper as nothing is wasted. All you have to do is cook! In the picture of the ingredients below, you can see bitter gourds stuffed with a mixture of minced pork, mung bean noodles (wun-sen) and carrots. On the right there is carrots, stock cube and Chinese soup celery.

Wash the bitter gourd and then cut it into three inch sections. Remove the insides with a fork. Next prepare the pork mixture. Soak the wun sen in cold water. Mix this with the minced pork and chopped carrots and season with a little fish sauce. Stuff this inside the bitter gourds. Place them carefully in a pot and add some stock. Bring to the boil and then simmer gently until the bitter gourd is tender. Add the Chinese soup celery to the soup once you start simmering. Taste the stock and add more fish sauce if you like. Come back to www.thai-blogs.com next week for more cooking recipes. The archives can now be found at www.EnjoyThaiFood.com.

If you live in Samut Prakan then you might be interested in the Paknam Seafood and Trade Fair. It is going on from now until Saturday 4th April 2009. It is taking place in the area in front of the city hall, alongside the river. They have a large stage set up for concerts during the evening with dining tables set up in front of it. Down one side are rows of food vendors. More than half the stalls in the city hall area are clothing and household goods. The rest are food. There are also rides for the kids like merry go round. If you are in the area then it is certainly worth visiting. It is open from late afternoon.

Stir Fried Baby Kale and Pork (pat kha-naa aon moo)
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We seem to be doing a lot of stir-fried dishes recently. These are popular throughout Asia as they are both easy to cook and also to adapt according to what ingredients you have. Today we are cooking Stir Fired Baby Kale and Pork. In the picture below, you can see pork, garlic and baby kale. This is not as tough as the bigger version so you don't need to discard so much of the stem.

To cook, fry the crushed garlic in your wok until golden brown. Next add the pork that has already been cut up into bite sized pieces. Finally comes the baby kale. Season with soy sauce, oyster sauce and some sugar if you insist. Make sure that you don't overcook so that the kale is still a little crunchy. Come back next week to www.thai-blogs.com for another recipe that you can cook in a Thai kitchen. The archives for my Thai Food Blogs can be found at www.EnjoyThaiFood.com.

Mung Bean Noodle Soup (dtom jeut wun-sen moo sap)
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This is a plain soup that contains mung bean noodles (wun-sen) and pork. In Thai it is called "dtom jeut wun-sen moo sap". In the ingredients below, you can see mung bean noodles, pork balls, chopped spring onion and chicken stock cube in the middle. The transparent noodles are usually sold in dried form. You have to soak them in water first for about ten minutes.

While you are waiting for the water to boil in a pot, prepare the pork balls by mixing the meat with crushed garlic, pepper and a little oyster sauce. Roll into balls. Once the water is hot enough, drop the pork balls carefully into the pot. Boil until nearly cooked. You might need to skim off any of the scum that might surface. When the water is clear, add the stock, mung bean noodles and the spring onions. Season with fish sauce. Come back to www.thai-blogs.com next week for another Thai food recipe.

Wax Gourd Soup with Pickled Lime (fuk toon ma-nao dong)
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This is a simple dish that can be cooked for vegetarians as well without the chicken. It is called "fuk toon ma-nao dong" or Wax Goud Soup with Pickled Lime. In the ingredients pictured below, you can see chicken, mushroom, wax gourd and pickled lime in the middle.

You need to prepare the wax gourd by peeling and then cutting in half. Remove the seeds and membrane. Now cut into large chunks as in the picture. Put some stock in a pot and then add the chicken first. Next comes the wax gourd and mushrooms. You can also add coriander roots and garlic. Once it looks nearly ready, add the pickled lime. Season with soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar. It should have a salty and sour taste. It is best to serve this hot.